London lad Jim Sturgess never wanted to be part of a British invasion, but he couldn’t help himself.

After the unsuspecting actor played Jude in 2007’s Across the Universe and the 2008 card-counting whiz in 21, he was loved and adored by teens and tweens in Canada and the U. S.

It wasn’t quite Beatles level, but it was close.

“It was a big shock,” recalls Sturgess in L. A. recently, promoting Cloud Atlas, which opens Oct. 26. “It felt like it was going to be for the rest of my life.”

It wasn’t. And, he’s recovered sufficiently from the poster-boy phase that greeted him in those early days of arriving in America to the chorus of yelps and screams. “I do remember being terrified.”

Things have settled down since then, although he still gets to suffer from the shock of recognition now and again by the hopelessly devoted.

No matter, even his most loyal of followers would have a difficult time pointing him out in Cloud Atlas. He plays multiple characters, including the portrayal of a Korean rebel in a near futuristic world.

“I also get to be murdered by Tom Hanks,” a smiling Sturgess points out.

Off screen, he was impressed by the two-time Oscar winner’s attitude. “Tom still looks like he’s having the time of his life.”

Based on the complex David Mitchell novel, Cloud Atlas is co-directed and co-written by The Matrix‘s Andy and Lana (formerly Larry) Wachowski. The movie contains multiple stories with some demanding themes examining the impact of fate and spirituality over centuries.

Throughout the filming, Sturgess says that the Wachowskis tried to simplify the complicated shoot as much as they could.

“They made everything seem like a playful game,” he says of the co-directing siblings. “It made it much easier to enjoy the process.”

I am the Postmedia News movie writer and canada.com columnist. I prepare features and profiles stars of major motion pictures, including Robert Downey Jr., George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts... read more. Previously, I was a movie writer for Postmedia's National Post. I was at the George Lucas farm near San Francisco to report on the last Star Wars picture, Revenge of the Sith. I was in New York for the first preview of Peter Jackson's King Kong remake. And I have been up close and personal with high profile A-listers such as Cameron Diaz, Matt Damon, Jennifer Aniston and many others. Before that, I was a sleep-deprived pop music writer and critic, a film writer and reviewer, and entertainment editor at the Toronto Sun. I also worked at CBC as a writer and producer, and was one of five writers selected to produce the script for the CBC's Canada For Asia live tsunami benefit broadcast in 2005.View author's profile